Ghana says have strong surveillance system to prevent dengue outbreak

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has instituted a strong and well-established surveillance system to prevent any outbreak of Dengue fever, a senior official said on Tuesday, according to local media.

Dr Emmanuel Kojo Tenkorang, Western Regional Director of Health Services, said the surveillance systems and response mechanisms in Ghana are able to detect any outbreak.

He said healthcare workers had also been trained and put on the alert for the dengue virus as was done for the Ebola virus in 2014.

"If you remember what we did during the Ebola outbreak, it is the same thing. So at the community level, we have a surveillance team. At the regional level and national level, there is also a surveillance team," he said.

The assurance follows the health service's alert signal of dengue fever outbreak in neighboring Burkina Faso from the World Health Organization Country Office last Saturday.

Dengue fever is a debilitating tropical disease characterized by sudden fever and acute joint pains.

Since August 2016, suspected dengue fever cases and deaths have been reported in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso.

From August 5 to November 12, 2016, a total of 1,061 probable cases out of 1,266 suspected cases were reported with a cumulative total of 15 deaths, according to the WHO.

In a statement issued last Saturday, the GHS asked health facilities to enhance surveillance and update their respective preparedness and response plans for dengue and other viruses. Enditem